Pizarro: Children's Discovery Museum making music with its newest exhibition

The new hands-on exhibit at the Children's Discovery Museum in downtown San Jose may help create a new generation of musicians.

"Soundscapes: Orchestrate the Extraordinary" looks like it'll be a lot of fun for kids, whether they're budding rock stars or hoping to be the next Yo-Yo Ma.

"So many different cultures use music as part of their holiday celebrations this time of year, so we decided to focus on that," said Children's Discovery Museum Executive Director Marilee Jennings, who gave me a behind-the-scenes look before the exhibition's official opening Saturday.

The museum's west wing has been turned into a do-it-yourself paradise of unique musical instruments, mostly made out of plywood and cardboard, as envisioned by San Jose artist Joe Saxe and titled "Musicians at Work."

This huge functional guitar (which also serves as a bench) is part of "Soundscapes: Orchestrate the Extraordinary," a new exhibit at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. (Sal Pizarro)

The "instruments" are all pretty unusual. There's a giant guitar -- with strings and everything -- that doubles as a bench. There's a set of three big plastic tubs that could be a starter set for taiko drummers, as well as a few drum kits made out of plastic buckets. And a wooden door isn't just decorated with a guitar -- it is one, plucking strings above it as it opens and closes with a guitar pick attached to its top edge. Check it out soon because that part of the exhibit closes Feb. 9.

A more lasting element is the change made to the museum's big staircase, which has become a permanent installation all its own by artist Christopher Janney. Using a network of electric eyes and speakers, the staircase creates sounds every time someone takes a step. There are musical tones, insect noises and bird calls. And when you've got several kids and their parents going up and down the stairs at the same time, it turns into quite a symphony.

THE PROSECUTOR RESTS: Santa Clara County Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu-Towery spent more than three hours chatting with friends and being congratulated on her retirement after 30 years of service during a farewell bash Thursday night at the Hotel De Anza's Palm Court Terrace.

Along with her husband, Superior Court Judge James Towery, the guests included U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo, District Attorney Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County Public Defender Molly O'Neal and San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo.

"I feel so lucky," Sinunu-Towery said during a break during the festivities. "I've had so many adventures in this job."

CIRQUE GIVES BACK: Each time that Cirque du Soleil sets up the Grand Chapiteau off Taylor Street in San Jose -- as they will for "Amaluna," which opens Jan. 22 -- they allow local nonprofits to sell blocks of tickets and keep the proceeds. One of their regular beneficiaries in Silicon Valley is the Bill Wilson Center, which puts its ticket money toward programs for homeless youth.

Bill Wilson Center Executive Director Sparky Harlan says they have plenty of tickets left to sell for the Feb. 14 show. Sounds like a great gift that can do double-duty on Valentine's Day, too. Get information on buying tickets by contacting the Bill Wilson Center at 408-850-6178 or cirque@billwilsoncenter.org.

VIDEO GREETINGS: Every year, I get a kick out of watching the year-end videos produced by the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art.

This time around, the gallery's employees and friends had a lot of fun (and wore a lot of colorful wigs and sunglasses) taking their "Give a Buck About Art" message to a trio of Silicon Valley tech companies. It's worth it just to see ICA Marketing Director Maureen Cappon-Javey dressed as a monkey riding a bike in front of Google's Customer Briefing Center. Check it out at www.sjica.org.

Another video that's been getting some eyeballs is the "invitation" to the CreaTiVe Awards at the California Theatre on Jan. 18. The theme is "So You Think You Can Be Mayor," and CreaTV San Jose Executive Director Suzanne St. John-Crane persuaded several of next year's San Jose mayoral hopefuls to sing a few bars of "Valleywood." The brave candidate/crooners were Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese and San Jose City Council members Pete Constant, Sam Liccardo, Pierluigi Oliverio and Madison Nguyen.

You can see the video -- and buy tickets to the awards event honoring both the valley's best videomakers and "Lou Grant" star Ed Asner -- at www.creatvsj.org.

FREE RIDES: San Jose's Environmental Services Department and garbage and recycling hauler GreenTeam are partnering to give away 30 youth bicycles and helmets Monday at Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose. A random drawing will take place at 5 p.m. at the Bank of the West Community Stage, and you can register to be part of it at www.sanjoseca.gov/greenpledge or starting at 3:30 p.m. at the event.

You do have to pledge to have a "green holiday" and agree to receive email tips until Jan. 1. I'm betting those tips are things most of us are doing anyway.

NEWSPAPER ON THE MOVE: The Mercury News is expecting to move into new digs sometime next year, but it turns out we're not the only San Jose publication that'll be filling out change-of-address forms. Metro CEO Dan Pulcrano tells me the alternative weekly is moving about a block north on South First Street next spring, occupying the building next to Cafe Stritch (which housed Donovan's Hair Studio about a decade ago).

ON HOLIDAY: This will be my last column for the year, but I'll see you back in this space in 2014. Have a safe and happy new year!